Jim Barnett once felt Nate Thurmond’s wrath when he was caught without a coat and tie.
Speaking at the Basketball Hall of Famer’s funeral last July, Barnett, in his 32nd season as the Golden State Warriors television analyst, recalled the two attending a benefit luncheon for an ill former player.
Barnett thought he was appropriately clad in a nice shirt and slacks. But when Thurmond saw Barnett, the Akron native and Central-Hower High School graduate was incensed.
“Nate took me aside and said, ‘I don’t want to ever see you at a function like this without wearing a coat and tie.